America does look different today and many of us are upset about it. The changes resulted from a devolution of culture where it’s no longer considered mandatory by the elites to express regular reverence for God, tradition and country. If we’re truly better off for it, can someone explain how?

Mark Twain was right – without a competent media you aren’t informed, but if you pay too much attention to the wrong sources, you’re mis-informed. We can’t necessarily control what we read but there is leeway to choose what to believe. Remember this the next time talk turns to politics.

The media may spin last week’s special elections results as a net-win for Democrats but it’s the Donald Trump-led Republican party that’s sending winners to Congress time after time. The party still has much work to do ahead of November but don’t be fooled – the GOP glass is at least half-full.

Debate will continue as to libertarianism’s place within the larger body of conservatism. To remain viable the GOP must appeal to all believers in small or limited government, something Donald Trump needs to understand. Will the GOP congressional leadership go along as well?

Conservatives deserve better than they’re getting from the GOP congressional leadership, a collection of establishment politicians who always take the easy way out when confronted with a challenge. A change is needed – hopefully it won’t be forced upon us by this year’s elections.

President Trump is entirely correct to take sides in the culture war and if he needs to bring up LeBron James’s name to cause a stir and get people to focus on what’s going on out there, so be it. Democrats are the ones who’ve turned up the rhetorical heat – let them bathe in the burnt-out ashes.

Good news is contagious, a lesson the left would do well to learn. Hoping for Trump’s policies to fail isn’t going to win liberals many friends, nor will their increasingly frightening displays of hatred towards the president and his supporters. Conservatives must remain vigilant to endure.

As would be expected California’s fire troubles are inexorably linked to the mindset of its political leadership. Instead of buckling down and addressing the root of problems, Gov. Jerry Brown prefers to blame “climate change.” Remember this the next time you see a house in flames on TV.

President Trump was correct to talk directly with Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin and he wouldn’t be wrong to meet with the Iranians either, as long as he understands what they’re after and what’s at stake. If talk is cheap then listening is even cheaper; a small price to pay for peace.

August is typically the time of year when Washington slumbers a bit and voters take a mental break before diving into the contentious fall campaigns. President Trump will keep things interesting, allowing plenty of opportunities for Democrats to shoot themselves in the foot.

Personality isn’t going to determine the outcome of the 2018 elections either way. What will matter is GOPers sticking to their promises and ensuring President Trump gets funding for his border wall. If Republicans just do their jobs, no government shutdown would be necessary.

Conservatives didn’t know what to think when Donald Trump ran for president but now that he’s established himself as a capable chief executive, the prospects for the GOP look promising. As for his #NeverTrump opponents the future is less clear; their days in exile may just be beginning.

Time will tell whether Joe Biden does run for president and if Trump will retain his solid hold on certain Democrat voting constituencies. For now, Trump’s trade policies appear to be paying off with economic wins and new achievements. As for the rest, let the political games commence.

Comparisons between Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump will continue as long as the current president emulates The Gipper’s America First playbook. Trump would do well to copy Reagan in one other respect – to call for big reductions in spending. If he does so, popularity will certainly ensue.

It’s strange how the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh devolved into a deeply personal matter for Democrats. Their over-the-top protestations about the judge’s background and supposed lack of candor are making themselves look foolish. But since when do Democrats care about such things?

"Kavanaugh believes in a very vigorous Second Amendment right to bear arms, and he thinks there is little room for constitutionally permissible gun control," says UCLA law professor Adam Winkler, which is one reason why the Left so vehemently opposes him.

Legendary Chief Justice John Marshall once wrote that the power to tax is the power to destroy – and it’s never been truer than it is today. All Americans pay way too much in taxes – and the government spends even more than it takes in – politicians should keep the lesson in mind.

Democrats aren’t doing a very good job of “going high” as Michelle Obama advised them to do two years ago. The party’s lack of substantive policy ideas forces Democrats to defend defenseless positions and relentlessly bash everything Trump does. Will voters make them pay?

Trump’s critics will continue hemming and hawing over his non-traditional approach to relations with Russia but he sets the policy and on balance it’s a sound one. Hopefully there will soon come a time when he won’t have to ask “Why can’t we be friends?” and face condemnation.

Almost 95% of those polled by FedUp PAC say the Kavanaugh nomination will boost the GOP in the midterms because “most Americans support the Constitution and want Supreme Court justices who will follow it.” Less than 4% think the nomination will hurt Republicans this fall.